Beyond Racial Dynamics in the South African Political Space, The Constrained Ambition of the Democratic Alliance
Since 1994 and the first democratic elections, the ANC has been dominating the South African political scene, although this should not hide the existence of a sizeable opposition among political parties and civil society.
The country has indeed been marked for a few years already by protest and industrial action, in reaction to long-lasting economic and social inequalities. Opposition parties try to re-appropriate these protests to de-legitimate the party in power and to come across as alternatives. In this regard, the local elections of May 2011 were a test to measure the real strength of the ANC in the face of its opponents. Paradoxically, we can say that these elections mark the continuity of the ANC's domination as well as the crystallisation of a serious and durable opposition.
Article available online : Lesedi - IFAS Research Newsletter - no. 13 - December 2011
Author(s)
Victor MAGNANI
Ancien Chargé de projets, Centre Afrique subsaharienne de l'Ifri
